Cigarette machinery



Sept. 30, 1930. w. E. MOLINS CIGARETTE MACHINERY Filed Feb. 8, 1930 INVENTORQ} Patented Sept. 30, 1 9 30 T NT- FF were t ister fmb i is F DEPTFQ Rtomomnrenmn enigm MnonINERY.

Application filed February ;8, 1930, Seria1-No. 427,073, and in Gramma December 27:15:2 f

This invention is for improvements in or relating to cigarette machinery, and :more particularly to a :deviceof the type which receives cigarettes :from the mechanism which severs the cigarette rod into lengths and deposits the sameupon a conveyor mova'bleinthe direction transverse to the direction ofmovement of th'e "cigarette rod. 7

The object ofthe present invention isto provide a" device whichwillreceive the ciga- 9 rettes from the said cutting mechanism and deposit them substantially in thesame position upon a transversely*moving rconveyor independent of'thespeed at whichthe cigarette machine is operating;

It is' found-'n practice in high speed cigarettewmaking machines of the continuous rod :typethat whenthe machine is started or stoppedt-he cigarette rod is.=movingat' a substantially slower speed than when it is normally operatingyand due to the 'fact'that the cigarettes are :delivered'at a slower speed, the device usually employed for moving them on to a transverseconveyor very often damages the cigarettes, orthe'mechanism becomes choked, thus necessitating clearing the machine of obstruction with the consequent 'loss .of'time;

The present invention comprises a device of the type referred to Whereinthe successive cigarettes as they are severed from the rod are received'by a conveyor operable to travel'faster than'the axial speed oith"e"rod, and deliver the'cigarettes to a transverse-conveyorand arranged sothat the point of discharge of the cigarettes 'fro'nr'the conveyor :isdependent gupo'n" the axial speed; of the ci arettes; Y

lna preferred fornr theinvention comprisesa deviceof the type'referred' to where- -inthe successivecigarettes as they are sevf ered from the rod arezreceived iby' 'a 'conveyor operable .to t-ravelvfaster thanthe'a xial :speedcof the rod and arranged; so Lth'at the :free .end thGl'eottrdips 1 downwardly towards the transverse conveyor at a point-snliicient- 1y far from the remote edge'of said transfer conveyor so that when the ci-garettesaredelivered at-the normal speed of the machine they will be discharged =fro-mthe said conveyor substantially at the-point where the same commences to, dip downwardly, where- 'as when the cigarettes are delivered mat/.3,

speed slower than "the normal speed of the -rod; the cigarettes will beccarried a distance down the sloping portion of "the conveyor dependent uponft'he speed .ofthe cigarettes,

and deposited at substantially the same point upon the transverse'conveyor.

The-invention will be moreparticularly1- described with reference to the accompany- *ing. drawing, ;in "which Fig. lis a plan'vie'w'of a'po'rtion of the receiving-apparatus of a continuous rod cigarette-machine. x

Fig; 2 isa View of the iapparatus as seen in direction of arrow A, Fig. 1. l

' Fig. 3 is a v iew of the apparatus as seen in direction of arrow B; Fig. 2.

" Referring to the drawing, the cigarettes 1 are. received by aband 2 from the cutting apparatus (not shown). The band 2 is arranged to travelvat a linear speed which is greater than the axial speed ofthe cigarette rod so that as the cigarettes are received by the bandfrom the cutting mechanism the same will be separated from'one another by a substantial amount. The conveyor band 2 is preferablylarranged to move 'horizon tally for the major portion of itslength un-m til itpasses over a-niadjustable guide 3 which causes'it'todip: downwardly towards the surface of the transversely moving conveyor band 4. l I

A -defle(itor 5 is adj ustably fixed above the conveyor band t and isc'urved as-shownso 'asto arrest the motion of the cigarette d cause them-to be deposited onthe band; Th deflector 15 is so shaped that when a ci :rette slides down it on to the ban'd, the rear! end of said cigarette first comes into contact with the transverse band so that the cigarette is swung around and all the cigarettes are then deposited on the band evenly and square thereto as shown in Fig. 1.

With a device of this character it is found that the cigarettes when travelling at the normal speed of the cigarette machine, for example twelve hundred cigarettes per mlnute, leave the band under their own inertia when they arrive at that portion thereof which dlps towards the transversely moving conveyor, and drop by means of gravity on to the said conveyor without impinging against the usual side wall which is mounted at the free edge of the said transversely moving conveyor.

When the cigarette machine is stopped, or the speed of the rod reduced for any reason, it is found that the cigarettes are still separated from one another, but due to the reduction in speed, the cigarettes will not leave the band where the same dips downwardly towards the transversely moving conveyor, but will move along the said dipping portion of the band and leave the same at a point dependent upon the axial speed of the cigarette, and will be deposited in substantially the same position upon the transversely moving band as is the case when the cigarettes are moving at a high speed.

It will be appreciated that with a device of the above character, the cigarettes may be deposited, without injury, upon a transversely moving conveyor, and in the case Where cork tipped cigarettes have to be separated into two rows, a separator may be mounted above the band hereinbefore referred to so as to remove each alternate cigarette-therefrom and permit the remaining cigarettes to be deposited in the manner hereinbefore described.

Any suitable device may be employed for removing each alternate cigarette from the band, for example a rotary vane as described in specification Serial No. 272,997.

Thus it will be seen that according to this invention a cigarette separating device is pro vided which will operate throughout the entire speed range of the machine and deposit the cigarettes on the transverse conveyor without damage.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a device for conveying cigarettes after their severance from a moving cigarette rod, the combination with a conveyor normally travelling faster than the rod for re ceiving the severed cigarettes, conveying the same in spaced relation-in the direction of their length, and delivering the same at a fixed point when moving slowly, of means l for causing said conveyor to dip in advance ofsaid fixed point whereby'fast operation of said conveyor causes the cigarettes to leave the conveyor at the point of dip and to be projected to the fixed point of delivery,

2. In a device for conveying clgarcttcs after their severence from a moving cigarette rod, the combination with a conveyor normally travelling faster than the rod for receiving the severed cigarettes, conveying the same in spaced relation in the direction of their length, and delivering the same at a fixed point when moving slowly, of means for causing said conveyor to dip in advance of said fixed point whereby fast operation of said conveyor causes the cigarettes to leave the conveyor at the point of dip and to be projected to the fixed point of delivery, and a second conveyor disposed substantially at right angles to the first conveyor and intersect-ing the point of delivery.

3. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a conveyor arranged to receive cigarettes, convey the same in spaced relation in the direction of their length, and deliver the same at a given point when mov ing slowly, of a second conveyor travelling substantially at right angles to said first conveyor for receiving the cigarettes at said point of delivery and conveying them in spaced parallel relation, said firstconveyor dipping at a point in advance of the said delivery point whereby operation of said first conveyor at high speed will cause the projection of the cigarettes from the point of dip to the delivery point. i

4. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a conveyor for receiving cigarettes and conveying the same in the direction of their length, of a second conveyor moving substantially at right angles to said first conveyor for receiving cigarettes from the delivery end of the first conveyor, and means disposed adjacent the delivery end of the first conveyor and over the second conveyor having a surface inclined away from said first conveyor in the direction of movement of said second conveyor and positioned to be engaged by the forward end of the discharging cigarettes to retard the motion of the latter. whereby the rearward end of each cigarette first falls upon the second conveyor to effect their disposal thereon in parallel relation to their first direction of movement.

5. In apparatus of the class described, the

combination with a conveyor for receiving cigarettes and conveying the same in the direction of their length, of a second conveyor moving substantially at right angles to said first conveyor for receiving cigarettes from the delivery end of the first conveyor, means whereby said first conveyor dips in advance of said delivery end to cause projection of the cigarettes to the delivery point when the conveyor is moving rapidly, and means disposed adjacent the'delivery end of the first conveyor and over the second conveyor having a surface inclined away from'said first con- Veyor in the direction of movement of said second conveyor and positioned to be engaged by the forwardend of the discharging cigarettes to retard the motion of the latter, whereby the rearward end of each cigarette first falls upon the second conveyor to eflect their disposal thereon in parallel relation to their first direction. of movement.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

WALTEREVERETT MOLINS; 

